September is National Recovery Month, a time to honor the courage it takes to heal and to celebrate the strength found in recovery. For me, recovery isn’t only about putting down what hurts us—it’s also about discovering the parts of ourselves we’ve hidden away. That’s the heart of recovery and shadow work in real life.
Turning Toward the Shadow
The “shadow” is just a poetic way of describing the pieces of us we’ve tucked into the dark: our fears, our shame, our old hurts. We all have them. In fact, many of us spend years building lives designed to avoid looking at them.
But in recovery, the shadow eventually taps us on the shoulder. It whispers, “See me, too. I’m part of you.”
The hopeful truth is that when we finally turn toward our shadow, we don’t find monsters. We find misunderstood parts of ourselves:
- The little girl who learned to hide her feelings to keep the peace.
- The young man who reached for a drink to feel brave.
- The adult who numbed pain because no one showed them another way.
Bringing light to those shadows doesn’t make us weaker. It makes us whole.
If you’d like a deeper primer, the Society of Analytical Psychology’s overview of the Jungian shadow offers a clear explanation.
Integration in Recovery and Shadow Work in Real Life
Recovery Month reminds us that healing is not about perfection—it’s about integration. It’s about learning to say: Yes, I have a shadow. And yes, I also have light. And together, they make me who I am.
When we welcome our shadows with compassion, shame begins to dissolve. Fear loosens its grip. And the need to numb or escape starts to fade.
Curious about a practical, “parts-based” approach to integration? The Internal Family Systems Institute outlines the method here: Internal Family Systems Model.
The Freedom of Shadow Work
If you’re in recovery, or even just considering it, know this: you don’t have to fear your shadows. You can hold them gently, listen to them, and still step forward. In fact, every person I’ve worked with who embraced shadow work discovered something surprising: more freedom, not less.
Light and Shadow Together
As we mark Recovery Month, let’s celebrate not only the light of sobriety, healing, and hope, but also the shadows that taught us why we needed that light in the first place. Recovery isn’t about banishing the dark. It’s about learning to carry both—with courage and compassion.
If you’re ready to explore both the light and the shadow in your own recovery, consider booking a Free Clarity Session with Evie. It would be an honor to walk beside you.